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Klamath River near Klamath

Highest listed crest 61.29 ftFlood stage 38.0 ft46 crests since 1861

The Klamath River near Klamath crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 46 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1861 to 2025. The highest, 61.29 ft on December 23, 1964, was major flooding, 23.29 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Klamath River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
61.29 ft
December 23, 1964; 557,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
38.0 ft
Major flooding from 46.0 ft
Crests at major
2
24th of 106 gauges in California
Most recent flood crest
February 10, 2017
41.64 ft, minor flooding
Location
Del Norte County
California

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Klamath River near Klamath
Action stage30.021Dec 22, 2025The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)38.02Feb 10, 2017Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage42.01Jan 1, 1997Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage46.02Dec 31, 2005Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

46 crests from 1861 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Klamath River near Klamath, 1861 to 2025 203040506070ft Flood stage 38.0 ftMajor 46.0 ft Dec 8, 1861: 36.50 ft, action stage; 450,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1890: 35.80 ft, action stage; 425,000 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 1953: 31.50 ft, action stage; 297,000 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1955: 35.80 ft, action stage; 425,000 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1956: 29.80 ft, below flood stage; 252,000 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1964: 61.29 ft, major flooding; 557,000 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1970: 32.80 ft, action stage; 331,000 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 1971: 32.90 ft, action stage; 334,000 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1972: 32.50 ft, action stage; 322,000 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1972: 33.70 ft, action stage; 360,000 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1974: 38.90 ft, minor flooding; 529,000 cubic feet per secondNov 26, 1977: 27.00 ft, below flood stage; 189,000 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 1977: 32.10 ft, action stage; 312,000 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 1980: 28.08 ft, below flood stage; 234,000 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 1981: 34.20 ft, action stage; 384,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1982: 26.13 ft, below flood stage; 195,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1982: 24.69 ft, below flood stage; 168,000 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 1982: 27.93 ft, below flood stage; 231,000 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1983: 30.24 ft, action stage; 282,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1983: 25.24 ft, below flood stage; 178,000 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 1983: 24.92 ft, below flood stage; 172,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1986: 36.76 ft, action stage; 459,000 cubic feet per secondNov 23, 1988: 25.15 ft, below flood stage; 154,000 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1993: 25.77 ft, below flood stage; 164,000 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1995: 29.10 ft, below flood stage; 235,400 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1995: 25.73 ft, below flood stage; 163,500 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1997: 43.80 ft, moderate floodingDec 31, 2005: 47.12 ft, major flooding; 496,120 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2010: 22.38 ft, below flood stage; 69,400 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2010: 25.82 ft, below flood stage; 95,100 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2012: 32.33 ft, action stage; 156,300 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 2012: 30.83 ft, action stage; 140,000 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2014: 25.51 ft, below flood stage; 92,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 2015: 33.91 ft, action stage; 172,000 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2016: 36.33 ft, action stage; 199,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2017: 41.64 ft, minor flooding; 265,000 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 2019: 29.15 ft, below flood stage; 124,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 2019: 32.64 ft, action stage; 156,000 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2019: 29.68 ft, below flood stage; 129,000 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2020: 25.19 ft, below flood stage; 88,300 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2021: 23.67 ft, below flood stage; 76,300 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2022: 30.86 ft, action stage; 139,000 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2023: 28.96 ft, below flood stage; 121,000 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 2024: 31.13 ft, action stage; 142,000 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2024: 35.56 ft, action stage; 189,000 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 2025: 30.24 ft, action stage; 133,000 cubic feet per second Highest, 61.29 ft, Dec 23, 1964 1880192019602000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Klamath River near Klamath 1860s: 0 1870s: 0 1880s: 0 1890s: 0 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 1 2010s: 1 2020s: 0 1860s1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.
  3. 8 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 26.20 ft on Feb 5, 1951; 27.30 ft on Feb 2, 1952; 29.00 ft on Feb 19, 1958; 27.30 ft on Feb 8, 1960; 26.40 ft on Dec 3, 1962; 26.10 ft on Jan 29, 1967; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Klamath River near Klamath
1Dec 23, 196461.29+23.29Major557,000
2Dec 31, 200547.12+9.12Major496,120
3Jan 1, 199743.80+5.80Moderate—
4Feb 10, 201741.64+3.64Minor265,000
5Jan 16, 197438.90+0.90Minor529,000
6Feb 18, 198636.76−1.24Action459,000
7Dec 8, 186136.50−1.50Action450,000
8Jan 18, 201636.33−1.67Action199,000
9Feb 1, 189035.80−2.20Action425,000
10Dec 22, 195535.80−2.20Action425,000
11Dec 29, 202435.56−2.44Action189,000
12Dec 20, 198134.20−3.80Action384,000
13Feb 8, 201533.91−4.09Action172,000
14Mar 3, 197233.70−4.30Action360,000
15Jan 18, 197132.90−5.10Action334,000
16Jan 24, 197032.80−5.20Action331,000
17Feb 28, 201932.64−5.36Action156,000
18Jan 22, 197232.50−5.50Action322,000
19Mar 31, 201232.33−5.67Action156,300
20Dec 14, 197732.10−5.90Action312,000
21Jan 18, 195331.50−6.50Action297,000
22Jan 14, 202431.13−6.87Action142,000
23Dec 31, 202230.86−7.14Action139,000
24Dec 2, 201230.83−7.17Action140,000
25Jan 27, 198330.24−7.76Action282,000
26Dec 22, 202530.24−7.76Action133,000
27Jan 15, 195629.80−8.20Below flood stage252,000
28Apr 9, 201929.68−8.32Below flood stage129,000
29Jan 21, 201929.15−8.85Below flood stage124,000
30Jan 9, 199529.10−8.90Below flood stage235,400
31Mar 15, 202328.96−9.04Below flood stage121,000
32Jan 14, 198028.08−9.92Below flood stage234,000
33Dec 17, 198227.93−10.07Below flood stage231,000
34Nov 26, 197727.00−11.00Below flood stage189,000
35Feb 16, 198226.13−11.87Below flood stage195,000
36Dec 29, 201025.82−12.18Below flood stage95,100
37Jan 21, 199325.77−12.23Below flood stage164,000
38Dec 30, 199525.73−12.27Below flood stage163,500
39Mar 10, 201425.51−12.49Below flood stage92,000
40Mar 31, 198325.24−12.76Below flood stage178,000
41Jan 26, 202025.19−12.81Below flood stage88,300
42Nov 23, 198825.15−12.85Below flood stage154,000
43Dec 14, 198324.92−13.08Below flood stage172,000
44Feb 21, 198224.69−13.31Below flood stage168,000
45Jan 13, 202123.67−14.33Below flood stage76,300
46Jun 4, 201022.38−15.62Below flood stage69,400

The worst floods along the Klamath River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Klamath River that crested above flood stage within a week.

December 23, 1964: 61.29 ft here, major flooding

  • OrleansCA · Dec 22, 1964 · 50.25 ft · Major · its highest
  • Seiad ValleyCA · Dec 23, 1964 · 33.75 ft · Major · its highest

January 1, 1997: 43.80 ft here, moderate flooding

  • Seiad ValleyCA · Jan 1, 1997 · 28.72 ft · Major
  • OrleansCA · Jan 3, 1997 · 38.23 ft · Minor

February 10, 2017: 41.64 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Klamath River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Klamath River
Seiad ValleyCA15.033.75 ft, Dec 23, 19644
OrleansCA38.050.25 ft, Dec 22, 19641
Klamath this gaugeCA38.061.29 ft, Dec 23, 19642

Other gauges in Del Norte County

Flood gauges in Del Norte County
Lake Earl near Crescent City9.09.28 ft, Mar 21, 20170
Dr Fine Bridge33.039.50 ft, Dec 22, 19641
Jed Smith near Crescent City29.038.40 ft, Dec 22, 19641

Del Norte County: every hazard · River floods across the country · California

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge KLMC1, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.